


i don't hardly know her (but i think i could love her)

by mythicalqueen



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/F, Gen, Jadzia is an idiot, band au, heavy 80s music reference specifically ladies of the 80s, its not set in the 80s theyre all just like that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 09:10:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20273479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicalqueen/pseuds/mythicalqueen
Summary: Kira kind of just wants to be Pat Benatar. Or Joan Jett, she’s not picky. Jadzia’s more of a Debbie Harry or Belinda Carlisle girl herself, but she can work with that.





	i don't hardly know her (but i think i could love her)

**Author's Note:**

> for the bi weekly prompt challenge, band au, which this isn't technically, but go with it. title is from "Crimson and Clover" and though it's not the original i'm referencing joan jett's version because it's gay. more explanation of songs/song choices/artists in notes at the end
> 
> this is unbeta-ed and written in like two hours, don't judge it too harshly

Jadzia’s been listening to “Summer Rain” for the last sixteen hours straight, which has been a somewhat common occurrence of late, when Keiko has finally had enough. She’s been understanding of her roommate’s depression induced music taste since Lenara broke up with her, but if she hears this song one more time someone is going to pay for it.

“Okay, either play something by ABBA or we’re going out,” she warns. Jadzia flops over onto her back.

“Can it be sad ABBA?” she asks.

Keiko glares and snatches Jadzia’s phone.

“Hey!”

“Nope, you’ve lost your sad music rights. Get changed, we’re going out.”

Jadzia glares back, but she does change from the sweatshirt and athletic shorts she’s been wearing into something that Leeta would definitely say was hot.

*

She’s right, Leeta does call it hot when she and Kasidy meet Keiko and Jadzia at a seedy bar called Quark’s that Jadzia has always liked. Jadzia laughs a little at the comment and strikes an exaggerated pose.

It turns out that it’s karaoke night, so naturally after a few too many shots, the four of them do some renditions of their favorites with varying levels of talent. The karaoke machine is clearly at least a decade old, and it’s selection seems like hasn’t been updated in at least as long other than a few exceptions, so they end up doing mostly 80s music. Jadzia’s fine with that, and she does a rendition of “Call Me” that’s too drunk to be good and cheers loudly at everyone, especially her friends. Leeta convinces them all to do “Woman’s World,” with her, which may well be the most recent song on the list.

After that, they call it quits on the karaoke, but stay a little longer. Other patrons are trickling in and out, and eventually Kasidy leaves, pulling a stumbling Leeta behind her to make sure she gets home okay. Keiko stays, mostly to do the same for Jadzia.

A woman goes up to the makeshift stage when the next song someone has signed up for is called, though Jadzia doesn’t catch the title. She’s wearing a white tank top under a worn leather jacket, but it’s the fingerless gloves, old combat boots, and one earring attached to an ear cuff that really complete the look.

The song starts with a heavy beat that’s instantly catchy. She starts singing, and a part of Jadzia gets irrationally annoyed because her voice is too good to be singing at a karaoke night where everyone is drunk. It makes everyone else look bad.

Jadzia doesn’t recognize the song, but it sounds distinctly 80s and she seems to be executing it flawlessly. “She’s good,” she mumbles to Keiko.

“Yeah.” Jadzia is even more awed when she does the high notes at the end of the song, and she finds herself clapping loudly as soon as the song is ending. She’s not alone in her clapping either, most of the bar seems to be impressed.

She watches the woman put the microphone back and wander over to a barstool and without much thought, Jadzia stands to talk to her.

“Hey, you’re really good,” Jadzia says when she gets close to the woman.

She turns to face Jadzia. The dim light catches her short hair, bringing out its red. “Thanks.”

“What was the song?”

She smiles a little. “‘Invincible.’ It’s Pat Benatar.”

“Cool,” Jadzia says. And then, because she’s drunk and an idiot, “Do you wanna start a band?”

It’s not really that starting a band is inherently a bad idea, it’s just that Jadzia has little to no musical talent, is extremely busy in her grad program, and literally doesn’t even know the Pat Benatar karaoke woman’s name.

“I’m Jadzia, by the way,” she says before the woman can answer.

“Kira. Um, Nerys,” she says. “What do you play?”

Jadzia pauses. She did technically take piano lessons as a child. “Keyboard,” she says. Oh god, she’s being so stupid.

Kira, or Nerys, Jadzia’s not entirely sure which to call her, looks at her closely. “Sure, why not?”

Jadzia knows a lot of reasons why not. “Great!”

*

“Hey,” Jadzia says in the Uber home, “you used to play cello, right?”

“No, Miles did, I played clarinet,” Keiko answers. “Why?”

“That’s... close enough to a saxophone, right?”

“Uh. Not exactly. Why?”

“I may or may not have asked Kira— karaoke girl— to start a band with me and we’ll need other members.”

“Jadzia.”

“I know.”

“You don’t sing.”

“I know.”

“You’re busy literally all the time.”

“I know.”

“You don’t play any instruments.”

“Technically, I used to play the piano.”

“Well?” Keiko asks, an eyebrow raised.

“Don’t be rude.”

“Jadzia, this is...”

“I know, it’s stupid, but consider this: she’s cute.”

Keiko sighed. “Why do you even want a saxophonist?”

“I think she likes 80s music?”

“You’re hopeless.”

*

They decide to meet up at a nearby cafe, and Jadzia says she’d bring other potential band members.

She drags along Kasidy, Leeta, Benjamin, Julian, and Keiko, who also drags along Miles.

“You’re really bringing all of us?” Benjamin asks.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Don’t you think that’ll be a little... overwhelming?”

Jadzia shrugs and opens the door to the cafe. Kira is sitting at a table for two and her eyes widen comically at the size of the group following Jadzia.

“Hey,” Jadzia says cheerily, waving Kira over.

“Hi,” Kira says, her eyes darting around the group.

“Right, so, everyone, this is Kira. Kira, this is Benjamin, he’s an incredible singer, Keiko, she plays saxophone—“

“I play clarinet, which Jadzia thinks means I can do saxophone solos.”

“I’m Leeta, I’m really just here for moral support but I could do backup singing if you need it.”

“Julian, same here.”

“I’m Kasidy, Jadzia dragged me along, I’m not sure why.”

“And I’m Miles, I play bass okay.”

“Nice to meet you all. I sing and play guitar. My friend Odo is on his way, he also plays guitar.”

“What is it that you play again, Jadzia?” Julian teases. Jadzia glares.

“Keyboard.”

“Right.”

“So, uh, what kind of music do you all like?” Kira asks as they all start to push tables together and move chairs to fit the group.

“I’m a big Madonna fan,” Julian says almost immediately, and they all resist the urge to laugh or roll their eyes.

“That’s Julian’s way of telling everyone he meets that he’s not straight,” Jadzia says conspiratorially to Kira. Kira grins.

“I do that by saying I like Joan Jett and Melissa Etheridge,” she responds and Jadzia grins back.

The thought of Kira singing “Do You Wanna Touch Me?” distracts Jadzia for a minute, but she recovers quickly enough. “Debbie Harry for me,” she says. Kira may or may not blush at that.

“I tend to prefer jazz,” Benjamin says, noting the exchange they’d just had.

“Fleetwood Mac,” Keiko said, “or ABBA, but everyone likes ABBA.”

Leeta nods in agreement. “Cher, babe,” she says, winking. “Heart, too, which seems more your speed.”

“Since we’re all going old school, apparently, The Supremes and Eurythmics,” Kasidy say.

Miles shrugged. “Elton John. The Cranberries.”

“Apparently we’re all also going gay icons,” Jadzia jokes.

“So, then, that’s our brand, right? Something with the same vibe as old school gay icons?” Leeta asks, and gradually they all start nodding in agreement.

Odo shows up in a few minutes and seems rather exasperated. Kira catches him up on the conversation and introduces him to the group, and they all finally remember to actually order something.

*

Halfway through a discussion Kira and Jadzia are having about when and where they can practice, Kira asks her, “Do you actually play the keyboard?”

Jadzia looks a little sheepish. “Not exactly. But I used to take piano lessons, so how different can it be?”

Kira laughs. “Why did you ask me to start a band?”

“I was drunk,” Jadzia says. “And you really are a very good singer. And I wanted to get to know you.”

“And you decided the best way to do that was to get all your friends to start a band with you and me?”

“Again, drunk,” Jadzia defends.

“Alright, well, how about instead you come with me to the next karaoke night?”

“It’s a date,” she says easily, and grins at Kira’s blush. “If you want,” she adds.

“Yeah. That sounds good.” Her smile is adorable. "Oh, and Jadzia?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Nerys."

Jadzia might lose her mind when Kira sings “Crimson and Clover.” She definitely retaliates with “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” just to see Kira blush. She also definitely doesn’t sound half as good as Kira, but it’s still fun.

And later, when Kira plays her guitar while singing “We Live for Love" for Jadzia, she decides that embarrassing herself by singing bad karaoke and pretending she could play the keyboard was totally worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> summer rain by belinda carlisle is a lenara/jadzia song because once tumblr user otzi told me it was/because it says "i remember laughing till we almost cried, there at the station that night, i remember looking in his eyes" and its kinda about someone you love leaving you behind in a way
> 
> there's a lot of sad abba that we as a society forget about, that's all
> 
> call me by blondie is just because i felt like jadzia would like blondie out of 80s women and would totally sing call me at karaoke
> 
> woman's world by cher is a bop, no i will not take questions
> 
> invincible by pat benatar is a kira song 100%, i first heard it at a pat benatar concert and thought of kira, i've painted kira to it, etc. the whole thing is kira, please listen to it.
> 
> julian likes madonna because he's gay, also the weird al parody of like a virgin is like a surgeon, so checkmate
> 
> joan jett is rumored to be queer, she's never confirmed it but she has pretty much said that she'll never confirm or deny it
> 
> melissa etheridge is gay and married to a woman i think she's been out since the 80s 
> 
> do you wanna touch me is a joan jett song and also jadzia is gay for kira, thanks
> 
> i think debbie harry has said she's bi? but she's definitely said she's been in relationships with women. she's the singer for blondie btw
> 
> idk keiko just has a stevie nicks/fleetwood mac vibe and she's right, everyone likes abba
> 
> again, leeta just has cher vibes and heart vibes, and heart is pretty similar thematically to pat benatar and joan jett
> 
> its just the vibes, the supremes and eurythmics have kasidy vibes. annie lennox of the eurythmics is i believe considered to be a gay icon as well
> 
> elton john bc julian and miles were supposed to sing rocket man in ds9 and elton john is gay, the cranberries because irish, lol.
> 
> crimson and clover has the lyrics in the title and uses female pronouns so its gay, also they dont know each other super well yet in the fic
> 
> heaven is a place on earth is by belinda carlisle and was gay even before san junipero used it
> 
> we live for love is by pat benatar and is a bop, also if kira could sing it it would be super impressive because pat benatar is a classically trained opera singer and in this song she shows it


End file.
